The contrast between the bands, as far as the record is concerned,
is that Chris Barber stayed very close to the New Orleans roots of
the music. Acker secured his pension with Stranger on the Shore
and several of the offerings here feature him in that vein with strings.
Kenny Ball has an ear for a good tune and will play anything that
appeals to him, whether it comes from the Delta or not! It is a shame
that Alex Welsh died when he was quite young, because his band with
Roy Williams and Johnny Barnes would get my vote as the crème
de la crème of this genre.

Ottilie Patterson is featured as vocalist with the Barber band on
a number of the tracks; she was a good singer and a very popular member
of the band. In the bands of Acker and Kenny, they did the vocals,
a traditional task for the leaders of trad jazz bands.
The longevity of all the bands on these two CDs is incredible, but
easy to understand. Unlike many other bands of this genre, all had
a very professional approach to their performance. All were extremely
well rehearsed, to the point where - even on an "off" night
(and we all have them) - they maintained a very high level of performance
and presentation. Theirs is for the most part happy music played with
great enthusiasm and no lack of that essential jazz ingredient, improvisation,
even if the format of the piece is pre-rehearsed to a high standard.

Several of the tracks from Acker Bilk feature him with strings à
la Stranger of the Shore, one of the UK's greatest hits,
but the majority of the tracks feature the Paramount Jazz Band. It
is interesting to note that all three bands have got away from the
plodding banjo beat that most started with and moved to a more "mainstream"
sound and they are all the better for it. I say this even though Barber
and Ball continue to use the banjo, but it doesn't dominate as
it did in earlier times. The Americans discovered this in the late
30s, but it took some time for the UK bands to follow suit. One of
the main benefits is that it makes it easier for the band to swing
and assists the soloist by providing a more interesting accompaniment.
This last observation is perhaps less noticeable in the Barber band,
but nobody could deny that it swings.

The record contains many of the standard tunes of the trad band repertoire,
which is no bad thing as they provide ideal tunes for this particular
kind of performance and I found every track enjoyable in one way or
another, either for a fine solo from one of the musicians or a pleasant
vocal.

It must have been a big loss for the Barber band when Ottilie Patterson
left; she added a lot to the band's performance and was a fine
jazz vocalist. I understand that she returned to Northern Ireland,
but I have not heard anything of her for some time. Both Acker and
Kenny could turn in a decent jazz vocal, which they do on many of
the tracks.

I was surprised that, on Acker's High Society, the clarinet
player played the famous solo on the initial ensemble, something I
have not heard before.

After listening to both CDs, I can easily understand how all three
bands continue to fill concert halls up and down the UK and why the
Barber, Bilk & Ball package can still fill the major concert halls.
Long may they continue to do so!